The Little Orphan Girl
by Reader Castellan
Summary: The Briefs adopt an angry orphan girl who has been abandoned and rejected her whole life. Can the Briefs warm this orphan's wounded heart? And will she ever learn to trust and love again?
1. Chapter 1

**The Little Orphaned Girl**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Dragon Ball Z or any of its characters.**

**This is a request from Charismatic Beauty. Thank you for the idea.**

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><p>It was not like this from the beginning.<p>

Susie Tanaka, a five year old sweet bubbly girl, thought as she tried to look out of her bedroom window. The window was high and she was short. The girl stood up on her tiptoes, her long curly strawberry blond hair falling on her large greenish hazel eyes, her mouth open as she tried to look out. Failing again, she gave up and sat down on her bed.

She could remember a few moments of her life of the time when she was even younger. Her mother used to tell her bed time stories. Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, Cinderella, Aladdin, Sleeping Beauty, and many more. Susie would cuddle up to her mother to go to sleep, and her Mama would tell her stories, and sing songs to her. Beautiful songs about the differently coloured flowers, the white beautiful clouds, the playful rains, and many more.

All that changed though.

A few months before she turned five, Mama had started acting strangely. She started drinking some clear thing which smelled a lot. Susie hated it. The smell was so bad that Susie did not want to be near the drink, and she certainly learnt not to bother her mother after she had had that thing, the hard way.

Mama had started shouting at her, sometimes even beating her. One day she even said, "You witch! You look just like your father! That good for nothing man had to go and die and he has left me with a burden for a lifetime!"

Susie did not know what burden meant, but she was intelligent enough to understand the change in her Mama's demeanour. Tears had brimmed up in her large eyes and she had started to cry. Mama had angrily locked her in her room for this for the whole day. Without food, without water.

After that incident it was hell for Susie. Mama would drink that thing, get angry, and take it out on her. Susie thought about her father. Daddy had died when she was one year old. She had seen her photos though, and she had to admit that they did look similar. Daddy had the same greenish hazel eyes as hers, which were so warm that Susie could not help but smile. Even though her Daddy was with God, and so much away from her, Susie felt that he was much closer and nearer to her than anyone had ever been. Why did Mama suddenly hate her? She looked like Daddy earlier as well.

Susie jumped as someone knocked on her door. She did not know it but she was crying. She quickly wiped her tears away, knowing how much Mama hated them. She ran towards the door and opened it.

"What were you doing?" Mama asked angrily. Her blond hair were tied in a bun. Her brown eyes glared at Susie. She was dressed in a pink ankle length skirt, a white shirt and a pink jacket. Susie thought that Mama was surely going somewhere.

"I was on the bed…" Susie said, her voice faltering as she saw the look on her Mama's face. It had…softened. She actually smiled.

"Come on Susie, get dressed," Mama said. Susie looked at Mama at disbelief. Was this real? She pinched herself.

"Ouch!" she cried. "Careful, Susie," Mama said. So this _was_ real! Susie beamed at Mama and hugged her, then ran to her little closet. She turned to look at Mama but only now did she notice.

Mama had two suitcases.

"Why are holding the- the-" Susie found it difficult to say suitcases. She searched for a substitute and found it. "Why are you holding the bags, Mama?"

"We'll go on a holiday," Mama replied.

"YIPEE! Holiday?! Really Mama?!"

"Yes, Susie."

Susie jumped up in the air, screaming happily whereas Mama set out to pack Susie's clothes, toys and other things. She stopped when she saw Daddy's photo, his dazzling smile. A single tear fell on the photo but she wiped it away and packed it with the other things.

Meanwhile, Susie found herself a green lace frock falling till her calf. Mama braided her hair and Susie put on her green sandals. She twirled, holding her frock, a couple of times when Mama called out, "Hurry up, Susie!"

Susie ran out of the house and to the yellow car. She looked back at the house. It was painted in white, had two floors with a colourful garden. She had played a lot here. Played with birds, the squirrels and even a mongoose!

Susie got into the car and Mama started driving.

"Where are we going?" she asked.

"Shadow Ridge," Mama replied.

Susie had never heard the name before but she smiled. It would be a good place, if Mama thought so. The earlier differences were already fading away.

So Susie fell asleep on the way. She was woken up by a jerk as the car came to an abrupt halt. Susie opened her eyes sleepily and looked out. Why had they stopped there?

The place was gloomy and dark. It was full of buildings, all of them old and dusty. Forget about a holiday resort or any other place like that, she could not even see a candy shop!

"Where are we, Mama?" she asked curiously as she looked out. She was not liking it at all.

"Just come out and I will tell you," Mama said. Susie opened the door of the car and stepped out. It opened at the door step of a big building, part of it made of brown stone, and the cement part painted in white. It had an arch shaped door and two stairs led up to it.

Mama set down the two suitcases next to her and then got in the car.

"Mama! Where are you going? What is happening?"

Mama did not reply; she started the engine.

"Mama stop! Mama don't go! Mama! MAMA!" Susie cried out as Mama drove the car away. Susie ran after the car, tears streaming down uncontrollably.

"Mama come back! Mama I'm sorry! I'll be a good girl! Mama come back! Come back Mama! COME BACK!" she howled as her tiny legs carried her forward, after the car. Mama neither stopped nor replied.

"MAMA!" Susie cried, "AAHH!"

She had stumbled on a stone and fallen down. She had hit her knee and blood was oozing out of the cut.

"Mama! MAMA! MAMA!" she cried out. Her eyes could not stop crying. Was she so bad, that Mama had to leave her behind, alone? Did she trouble Mama so much that she did not even say a word as she left her there? What was Susie's fault? Was it that she looked like her father, or that her father had died just one year after her birth?

The car turned at the corner and disappeared.

"Mama…" she sobbed and lowered her head. Her tears fell on her injured knee.

"Dear, dear…" she heard someone say.

Susie looked up to see who it was. A woman in her middle ages was looking down at her. She had kind blue eyes, her black hair were tied in a braid and she was looking down at her kindly.

"My- my Mama- Mama- has- has –g – g- gone away! She- she- h- has – left- left me- me- b- b-b- behind…" Susie stammered as she hiccupped as she tried to stop crying, "Wi- will- she- she- c- c-come b- back?"

Her eyes were full of hope and it gave the woman a lot of pain to shatter it. But she had to do it.

"No child. Your Mama will not return."

Susie's eyes turned momentarily blank. Her tears stopped. She just stared at the woman, but her eyes were distant.

"Don't worry," the woman said and lifted her up, "You have got me. Everything will be all right, honey, everything will be all right." She carried the child back to where the two suitcases were. Susie did not protest, she did not say anything. The woman quietly took her inside the building with the suitcases. There was a name plate on the door that Susie had not noticed.

It read 'Shadow Ridge Orphanage'.


	2. Chapter 2

**The Little Orphan Girl**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Dragon Ball Z or any of its characters.**

**Thank you Charismatic Beauty and The Light of Fire for your reviews on the previous chapter.**

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><p><em>Eight years later…<em>

The girl was polishing her nails with utmost care.

Her blue hair were falling on her blue eyes and she threw her head back to push the hair out of her face but was unsuccessful again. She was annoyed now. Could her hair not fall on her face for the next five minutes? Was that too much to ask?

Bulla Briefs had to attend the birthday party of her friend that night. If her nails were not of the right colour what would her friends say?

After much hard work the job was done. Bulla rose in triumph and smirked. Her nails were perfect! She just had to get a few things ready now.

As she was about to leave the room the telephone rang. She sighed. Nobody else was around to answer the call. Her father was training, her mother was working in the lab and her brother had gone to work. Shaking her head, she walked up to the telephone and answered the call.

"Hello. This is Briefs' residence. Whom am I speaking to?" she asked.

"Hello. I am Janet Hayes from Shadow Ridge Orphanage. May I speak to Miss Bulma?" the voice on the other end replied. It was soft and polite.

"Does she know you?" Bulla asked curiously. Why would anyone from an orphanage call up her home to speak to her mother?

"No, she does not know me but this is really important. May I please speak to her?"

"Yes. Please wait for a while. I'll call her."

With that Bulla ran to her mother's lab. She was there within seconds.

"Mom," she called out. "Some Janet Hayes from Shadow Ridge Orphanage wants to speak to you. She said that she has to talk about something really important."

A woman with blue hair and blue eyes looked up at Bulla from behind her computer. Bulma looked like an older version of her daughter. She looked puzzled by what her daughter said and stood up.

"Someone from an orphanage?" she asked.

"Yes," Bulla replied.

"Let's see what she wants to talk about."

The two of them walked to the telephone and Bulma spoke, "Hello? This is Bulma."

Bulla leaned against the wall and listened to what her mother was saying.

"Hello Ms Briefs. I am Janet Hayes from Shadow Ridge Orphanage."

"How may I help you?" Bulma asked.

"Uh, Ms Briefs I was wondering whether I could talk to you in person."

Bulma thought for a second then replied, "Sure but what is this all about? I am unable to understand…"

"Don't worry Ms Briefs. I will explain everything when we meet. Can you tell me when you can come here?"

"We can meet tomorrow morning at 11:15, if that is okay," Bulma replied.

"Yes that is really good! So we will meet tomorrow at 11:15. Thank you."

"Welcome. Bye," Bulma said and put down the receiver. She frowned.

"What happened mom?" Bulla asked.

"This Janet wants to meet me tomorrow. She sounded very… desperate," Bulma replied.

Bulla raised her brows. "Can I come too?" she asked.

"Yeah okay. But this might be really serious…"

With that Bulma walked back to her lab.

Bulla stared at the telephone thoughtfully for a while. What was the matter? She shook her head and went back to try her new jewellery.

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><p>Her hazel green eyes scanned the garden in front of her. Her strawberry blond hair were cut short and she wore a grim expression on her face.<p>

Janet Hayes watched thirteen year old Susie Tanaka from a distance so that she was sure that the girl would not see her. The woman had always seen the same expression on the girl's face ever since the child had believed that her mother would never return. When Susie was just five, her mother had left the child outside the orphanage. She had not even bothered to contact the orphanage to keep her with them. Janet had found the child outside and had taken her in. Since then for the next few months Susie was always found near the window looking at the street. Maybe she was waiting for her mother to come there, maybe she was hoping that her mother would love her again, hug her and promise that she would never leave.

But after that Susie stopped looking out of the window. She would hardly ever speak to anyone and she never smiled. That was when Janet thought that Susie really needed a family. She had found a good family for the girl. They had taken her in and Janet thought that Susie had finally found happiness and that was when she was proven wrong. Susie did not last even ten days. The foster parents said that she never spoke, was hostile to their children and did not do anything that she was told to do.

Janet tried again and again, but Susie was rejected every time. The child had become even more silent and grim and Janet could sense anger inside her. She never showed it, and that was what worried Janet the most. Susie did not show any emotion. Ever. Her eyes did not give away anything. Susie had grown up too early. Janet found it really painful that Susie never had a childhood.

After being rejected the fortieth time by her foster family Susie just sat in the garden for the most part of the day, when she was not attending her classes. Janet had not sent her to any foster home for about a year now. Even the orphanage staff found it difficult to be around the child and they said that they should send her somewhere else. But Janet would not let them do that. She was determined to take care of the child herself. She acted like a mother to the child. And she also knew that Susie cared for her as well. If Janet sat down next to the girl, she would never walk away from there. If it was anybody else, Susie did not even think once before leaving the spot.

Janet had wanted to look after Susie herself, but unfortunately, she did not have much time. She would leave the world soon, and before leaving she wanted to ensure a bright future for Susie. She knew the orphanage staff would get rid of the child as soon as Janet were no more. And so, she had contacted Bulma. She prayed to God that this family would not reject her child and that she could leave in peace…

Susie knew none of this though. She did not know she might have to leave the orphanage soon or that Janet had little time left.

Janet took a deep breath and walked up to Susie. The girl was dressed in a black shirt and denim jeans. She had started wearing this combination about two years ago, and from then whatever clothes she got, consisted of black shirts and jeans. Janet never found out why it was so.

"Hello Susie," she said.

"Hello Janet," she replied.

Janet sat down next to her.

"How are your studies going?" she asked.

"Just fine. How are you doing?" Susie said.

"I'm doing okay."

It surprised Janet how Susie talked to her so casually after all she had gone through. But she knew that the girl's heart was wounded. Despite all of Janet's efforts, the child never smiled.

"You have your classes in the evening at five," Janet told her. Susie nodded at her and then got back to gazing at the garden.

Janet got up to leave but glanced at Susie again before walking away.

Hopefully, the child would be accepted this time.


End file.
